We are thrilled to welcome DETTA KENZIE for the latest in our series of Live at Lunchtime concerts on Saturday 8 March.

These events are family-friendly and under-18s go free (accompanied by a paying adult). There will be a very relaxed atmosphere, and if children make some noise, that's fine! There will be activity and colouring sheets for younger children and a break-out room at the back for anyone that needs it, where there will be toys and a bit of space.

Detta Kenzie is an English folk singer creating original songs alongside reworking traditional music. With both Irish and Scottish heritage, Detta is committed to collecting, restoring and sharing songs passed down in the oral tradition. 

In her original work, a deep connection to the natural world is ever present. Inspired by placenames, specific references to locations in Britain, Ireland and Australia bring a strength to Detta’s creations. Themes of womanhood, grief, rebellion and rage can be found in her deeply narrative based songs.

Having worked as a Secondary English Teacher before transitioning into music, Detta’s love of language shines through in her storytelling. Her words capture the diversity of the landscape and its ability to both mould and reflect human experience.

Detta will be joined on-stage by Tobias ben Jacob.

The concert itself is not specifically aimed at children, although is very family-friendly. These concerts are aimed at people who perhaps cannot make our usual Friday evening events, as well as our regular audience. And remember, if you already have a season ticket for Autumn/Winter 2024, you get this one for free!

The concert will be shorter than normal (just over  an hour with a short break halfway though) and there is no support. Doors open at midday and the music starts at 12.30pm. It will finish at around 1.45pm.

The event takes place at our usual CHRIST CHURCH DOWNEND venue, tickets are £10 per adult (plus booking fees) in advance, £12 on the door, and are available HERE and from MELANIE'S KITCHEN in Downend (cash only). U18s go free (when accompanied by an adult) but tickets should still be reserved. There will be tea, coffee and a small selection of soft drinks and THE GREAT CAKE COMPANY cakes available to purchase, and free squash for children, available from our bar. Please note that we will not be serving alcoholic drinks at these events. For further information, please go to downendfolkandroots.com. 

For further information, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or find us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, BLUESKY or YOUTUBE.

Things are starting to get better, aren't they? The Snowdrops are peeking through the soil, birds are singing their hearts out, there's a tiny bit of warmth in the sunshine, there's actually some sunshine! You can feel that everything is going to be alright. 
 
If there's one man you need to soundtrack those bursts of spring-y joy then it is, of course, SAM SWEENEY. One of the finest fiddle players of his generation, member of Bellowhead, Leveret and countless wonderful collaborations and, most recently, part of Boss Morris; Sweeney sometimes looks as though he can't believe how beautiful the music he makes can be. 
 
 
Starting, as he always does, with Orange in Bloom, a Morris tune which Sweeney describes as “the best tune of all time”, it is full of woodsmoke and loveliness. Gently, slowly he coaxes spirits from the forest as Louis Campbell shaves slivers of moonlight with his guitar. It takes about thirty seconds before Sweeney smiles, tilts his head back and simply allows the music to flow from him.
 
The whole of the first set is taken up with the Shapes EP, which Sweeney and Campbell released in 2023. They play it sequentially and, quite simply, every tune is glorious. On Shape #1 (D) the fiddle flutters above the tune, Campbell's guitar ringing out like a piano, until everything soars. These two seem to be in constant motion, there's fluidity, the music glides and skips, it skims like stones. Shape #3 (E) stretches and unfurls, the guitar as soft as raindrops, while Shape #4 (G) patters like go-to-bed footsteps, a lullaby for the ages. 
 
Shape #5 (A) flits through the trees, Sweeney's fiddle humming snatches of romance, the soundtrack to a long-forgotten love. It's cinematic in the best possible way, projecting super 8 images straight into your memory box. Sweeney admits to falling asleep to this EP and it is easy to see why. All of the Shapes are blissful, tranquil, and gorgeous.
 
 
For the second set, Sweeney and Campbell break out the toe-tappers. Steppy Downs Road is huge fun, Campbell propulsive while Sweeney swoops up and over hills. Want to Fly, Want to Flee is another that explodes skywards. Both instruments launching themselves into the air, this is music for a summer's day, music of sunshine and heart-bursting happiness. 
 
There are light-footed hornpipes and haunting regimental marches, there's dance music for campfire embers and repeated shivers of delight. Sweeney and Campbell shimmer and pulse, sometimes they seem to be desperately trying to hold onto the streamers of light that they produce before they just fly away.
 
Sam Sweeney lets his fiddle do his singing for him, however, LOU SHEPHERD, in support, is all about the voice. This Bristol based singer-songwriter is seriously good.
 
 
With only a handful shows under her belt, she holds echoes of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake. Her voice is so poised, so pure. If she encapsulates the best of 60s folk on an unaccompanied Quiet Joys of Brotherhood, then she is beautifully contemporary on West Winds. In the same way that Katherine Priddy can still a room with her voice, Shepherd has a packed Christ Church entranced. 
 
Her own songs are sprinkled with nostalgic magic dust, they are peans to nature, to longing, to resilience. Mackerel Skies and Rise are flecked with sunshine, they skate on acoustic hope. Rambling ‘til Sunrise has the lazy roll of an Amsterdam bicycle wheel and allows us to glimpse a European summer evening.
 
Between them, Lou Shepherd, Sam Sweeney and Louis Campbell help to dispel the winter-y gloom, to look forward to brighter days. To remind us that, soon, everything will be alright.
 
Words: Gavin McNamara
Photos: Barry Savell
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Back in early 2021, just after the covid lockdowns when we’d just been allowed out again, with lots of restrictions and social distancing, SAM SWEENEY brought himself and his fiddle (he wasn’t allowed to bring anyone else!) to Christ Church Downend, and had the intimate crowd that was allowed in utterly mesmerised for 90 minutes.

 
 
It’s now time for him to return, this time with guitarist Louis Campbell in tow, and this time there are bound to be a few more people in the audience with almost 100 tickets already snapped up at the time of writing. And there will be yet more people watching virtually as the concert will be live-streamed in partnership with LIVE TO YOUR LIVING ROOM.
 
Sam is a veteran of the mighty Bellowhead, former and inaugural artistic director of the National Youth Folk Ensemble, founder member of the acclaimed instrumental trio Leveret, and "Britain’s premier fiddler" (Songlines), at the forefront of the revival in English traditional music.
 
Sam's most recent album, Escape That, is unashamed in its pool of influences. It’s an album laced with visits to old musical companions, culminating in something entirely new; not an uncomfortable fusion of genres but a genuine expression of love for his inspirations, past and present.
 
 
Opening the evening will be LOU SHEPHERD, a rising folk singer-songwriter whose emotive voice has confirmed her place as one of the UK’s most exciting emerging folk artists. With her compelling storytelling rooted deeply in nature and connection, Lou’s poetic lyrical perspectives, immersive soundscapes and commanding melodies cast "Laurel Canyon shadows", with the "quiet determination of a seedling seeking the light" (Bristol 24/7, FATEA).

Brought up on the best of the British folk revival and folk sessions in the South West of England, Lou’s live performances have gained Europe-wide acclaim, having spent two years at the heart of the Amsterdam folk scene. Now back in her native West Country, Lou’s awe and wonder for nature shine through. A talented multi-instrumentalist, her lucent and effortless vocals have left a lasting impression with audiences nationwide. Her debut EP Rise is scheduled for release later this year.
 
Tickets for the concert, which takes place at CHRIST CHURCH DOWNEND on Friday 21 February 2025, are available online HERE and from MELANIE'S KITCHEN in Downend (cash only). They are priced at £14 each in advance or £16 on the door. Doors open at 7.00pm and the music starts around 7.45pm. This event is also included in our Spring Season Ticket.
 
There will be a bar, stocking cider, soft drinks, wine, hot drinks and real ale from locally-based HOP UNION BREWERY. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own glass/mug/tankard, as well as reusable bottles for water, as part of the drive to be more environmentally aware; there is a 50p discount for those that do. There will also be sweet treats available at the bar courtesy of Radstock-based THE GREAT CAKE COMPANY, as well as a prize draw, which helps to fund the support artists for each concert.
 
For those that can’t make it to Downend, or miss out on tickets, this concert will also be live-streamed in partnership with LIVE TO YOUR LIVING ROOM, so you can watch from the comfort of your own sofa! Head to livetoyourlivingroom.com for more information on live-stream tickets.
 
For further information, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or find us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, BLUESKY, YOUTUBE or TIKTOK.

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  1. SUMMER PROGRAMME 2025 REVEALED
  2. SPRING "LIVE AT LUNCHTIME" CONCERT ANNOUNCED!
  3. REVIEW: "BRILLIANT FOLK MUSIC WHICH ECHOES THE PAST BUT IS HERE, NOW, AND READY TO BE DISCOVERED"
  4. NEXT AT DOWNEND FOLK & ROOTS: THE BROTHERS GILLESPIE + LIZ SIMCOCK